Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Deeper Water

This is our March book club choice: Deeper Water (Tides of Truth Series, Book 1). I have never read anything by Robert Whitlow so I was wondering what I would find. Then I start it and find out the main character is a young woman in law school who was homeschooled by her mother until high school. And she was raised in a very conservative religious environment with a faith that is very real and very practical. Turns out the story is good, too! The one issue I had with it (which fits in with Heather's post on Sunday) is that it is written in first person. That can be an awkward perspective and while it worked ok in this book, it isn't my favorite way to read a book.

The setting is Georgia. First the western part where Tammy Lynn's family lives. Then Savannah where she gets a job as a summer clerk. The law story was interesting, and the law firm environment was well portrayed, even the other summer clerks. There are differences, but it isn't one Christian girl among an entire cast of heathens. There are differing levels of faith, different types of faith, and folks with enough money to think they don't need faith.

The story is told from Tammy's perspective. We learn a lot about her and we see the other characters developed through her eyes. This means we don't always know what their motives are, but even then I came to a few different conclusions from Tammy when deciding who to trust and how sincere some people were.

There is more room for growth and development in this series. I have not read much Christian fiction outside of Francine Rivers, but I have heard some common concerns with the lack of plot or believable characters. I found this a very believable book, watching a woman who is growing in her faith and learning to stand on her own with a firm foundation laid by her parents, and a family turning toGod for the strength and wisdom to let her grow.